ARIA imposes new license to let DJs format shift music
The ARIA in it’s infinite wisdom has once again come up with an aggressive plan towards copyright infringement. This time they are targeting DJs. ARIA is introducing a new license to let format shift their music to use at gigs. DJs now have to purchase a license fee to copy “legal” music to their digital devices such as iPods, laptops or compilations.
This is absolutely ridiculous! Of all the people, they want to go after the DJs who help promote artist’s music at clubs and other venues? How many times have you walked up to a DJ playing a cool track asking for the artist and track name and end up buying buying the music the next day? Charging DJs license fees to format shift their legal music for convenience just seems insane. They get license fees from clubs anyway.
In this digital age, laptops and iPods are increasingly penetrating the clubbing scene for convenience and more importantly the technology allows the DJs to carry a bigger collection of music to play at venues. Plus it saves a lot of time searching for records in the dark. Although I’m not a big fan of substituting digital copies of vinyls, one can’t argue the obvious benefits to the DJ. So now the DJs have to carry boatloads of CDs and vinyls to avoid licensing fees. How does it help? It doesn’t solve the copyright infringement problems that the ARIA is so worried about.
What’s going to happen is that the Aussie DJs are just going to start playing outside of Australia and in the end the public is going to get affected. Mind you, this is the same public that goes out and buys legit music. Who is losing out in the end?
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